


The New Headmaster

by musikurt



Category: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII
Genre: Angst and Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-28
Updated: 2015-08-28
Packaged: 2018-04-17 17:20:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4675022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musikurt/pseuds/musikurt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Squall has been appointed as the new headmaster of Trabia Garden. It's not exactly the job he wants, but he figures he'll find a silver lining...but he soon learns he may find a gold one too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The New Headmaster

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Starrie_Wolf](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starrie_Wolf/gifts).



> This is my first time writing in this fandom, though I've always had it on my list. I do hope you enjoy it.

Squall tossed his bag on the floor of his new room. He knew that his new assignment was one that many of his colleagues would be beyond excited to receive, but he was still working on getting there. Headmaster of Trabia Garden. He'd earned it, but it still wasn't the same as being back in the field. Though he knew that was unlikely to happen, and he should go where he was most needed.

"Lunch will be served in an hour, followed by your first meeting with the rest of the administration team." Squall had forgotten that his new assistant had shown him to his room and was still standing behind him. "I will leave you get settled."

"Whatev-- Thank you." Squall nodded at the young man and flashed him a smile as he disappeared through the doorway. It wasn't anyone's fault he was here, and he knew it would be difficult to undo any first impressions that he might be moody (even if it really could be sometimes), so he resolved to keep an upbeat attitude. Within a few days, he was sure he'd be caught up in the work of his role and the excitement would come. Or at least the longing for the thrill of a mission would be forced from his mind.

Letting out a long sigh, he started to unpack his things.

****

Squall entered the staff dining hall and pulled his shoulders back. While the differences were subtle, he figured it could take some time for him to get used to wearing the Trabia uniform. As headmaster, it was likely well within his prerogative to wear whatever he would like--he couldn't recall ever seeing Cid in a standard uniform--but he figured it would be a good show of solidarity to at least start out wearing something that identified his new affiliation. The Gardens had good relations with each other, obviously, but there were some who might still see him as an outsider coming in and claiming ownership of their domain.

"You can grab a plate over here." Squall looked up to see his assistant standing by a small buffet table. At least there would be someone looking out for him as he got settled in.

"Thank you," he replied as we walked over and set himself up with a plate of various foods. He followed his assistant over to a long table and took a seat beside across from another person--staff, he assumed, since this was the staff room. "Hello," he said, extending a hand to the man--probably around his own age?--with spiky blond hair. "I'm--"

"I know who you are," the man replied. "Squall Leonhart, new headmaster of Trabia Garden, transfer from Balamb, self-proclaimed hero of SeeD."

"I don't know that I'd say I'm--"

"This is Cloud Strife. He handles intake for new cadets," Squall's assistant said, interrupting and looking quickly between the two men. "So, I'm curious, has it always been your goal to run a garden?"

Squall stared at Cloud for a moment before turning his attention to his assistant. That was a very abrupt subject change, and he made a mental note to explore that in more detail later. "No, in fact. But sometimes we don't always control where the path leads. Personally, I'd like to get back into the field--" Cloud scoffed at that statement "--but I think those days are well and truly behind me." Before his assistant could ask another question, Squall turned back to Cloud. "Do you have an issue with being in the field?"

"Me? No," Cloud answered with a scowl. "But you'd never catch me lining up to get back out there. Not that they'd probably let me even if I wanted to."

"I'm sure that's not true. You look to be in good form. I could put in a request if you--"

"Oh, right. What was I thinking?" Cloud stood up from his seat and picked up his plate. "I don't need your help, you know. None of us do. Just stick to what you were sent here for and keep your nose out of other people's business." He walked away from the table with purpose, dropping his plate and utensils in a bin by the door and exiting the room. He hadn't raised his voice or seemed angry, but his message was clear.

"There's a story there, I'm guessing?" Squall asked, seeing the frown on his assistant's face.

"I'm not sure it's my place to tell you."

"How am I supposed to work with him if I don't know. At first I thought maybe he had his eye on the headmaster role and was just bitter--"

"No, I don't think that's it," his assistant interrupted.

"We're going to have to work on you interrupting me." Squall grinned. He looked around and noticed they were the only two left in the room. "But first, you're going to tell me Cloud Strife's story, and you're going to do it in the ten minutes we have before I have to face him in that meeting you scheduled."

****

The first meeting with Garden leadership had gone well. Squall listened intently to the overviews and updates from all of the administrators and presented his plan for how they would work together. He sensed less hesitation that he'd expected, which he thought should bode well for him settling into the role quickly. 

Except he still needed to contend with the scowling blond who had been sitting in the second row. Cloud gave his update quite eloquently and without a hint of resentment, but the moment he sat back down, the scowling resumed. He would need to figure out a way to get through to him.

"Strife, could I speak to you for a moment?" Squall asked as the meeting concluded and everyone was filing out of the room.

Cloud let out a quiet sigh and Squall could see his shoulders hunch forward slightly. "If you insist."

"I do," Squall responded as he watched the last two people leave. "Look, I just wanted to apologize for lunch. I didn't mean--"

"There is nothing to apologize for. If anything, I should be the one apologizing to you. I was rude. I don't do well with new people. I don't want to get into it, but it's just--"

Squall put up a hand. "It's fine. But I was wondering if maybe you would join me for dinner."

"Well, I feel like that's sort of a given, isn't it?"

"I meant just the two of us. It would give me a chance to hear about your efforts in more depth and for you to give me your perspective of what's going on here at the Garden."

Cloud was quiet for a moment, as though he was considering if this was the best idea. "Okay. I assume we'll take it in your office."

Squall nodded. "I'll see you there."

****

Squall adjusted his hair in a small mirror as he sat at his desk waiting for Cloud to arrive. His assistant had brought them dinner in warmers that were resting on a small table off to the side of the room. He found himself questioning if this was the right idea, but he didn't have any others.

Cloud's story--at least according to Squall's assistant--helped him understand why he was standoffish, especially with new people. He carried around a lot of guilt, and he wasn't quick to connect with other people for fear he would let them down. Squall could relate. He used to be someone who kept people on the outside, not letting them in. And he had regrets; there were people he lost along the way--in the field and elsewhere--so he could empathize. He wouldn't claim to understand Cloud's position exactly, but maybe the two of them could find some common ground.

And there was another quality to Cloud that Squall couldn't quite pin down. He was intrigued by the man, had been since he first sat down across from him at lunch. There was a part of him that was trying to say what that quality was, but Squall didn't want to acknowledge it. He'd been down that road before, and it hadn't ended well. He was saved from further thought by a knock on the door.

"It's open," he called.

Cloud opened the door and stepped inside. Squall looked up and was momentarily taken aback. He'd styled his hair into an even messier, spiky look--one of those sort of organized chaos styles--and he was wearing something that resembled a dress SeeD uniform, though it clearly wasn't. What it was, though, was perfectly tailored to fit him just right.

"I'm not too early, am I?'

"N-no. Please, come in and have a seat." Squall motioned to a chair at the table before standing and making his way to the one on the other side. After they both sat, he poured them each a drink and then uncovered the plates that held their dinner.

"I can't say I've had a private dinner in all the time I've been here," Cloud said. Squall couldn't help noticing a slight smile and a bit of twinkle in his eyes.

"Which has been how long, exactly?"

"A few years. Wasn't sure I'd like it at first, but it turns out this works for me. Responsibilities I can both enjoy and handle."

A thought started to form in response, but Squall lost it before he could put it into words. "Well, I understand you do what you do very well."

"Thank you." Cloud sipped his drink and a silence lingered between the two of them for a moment. Before Squall could formulate the question he wanted to ask, Cloud spoke up first. "I'm sure your assistant told you about what happened to me. It was a while ago, and much has happened since, but everyone seems to think it still affects me in ways that aren't really true."

"How so?"

"Well, I'm sure he told you that even though I'm 'myself' again, parts of me are broken, that I didn't return intact. He probably said that I lack the capacity to connect with other people and to form relationships. And he also likely said that carry around a guilt for the people who were hurt when I wasn't myself that causes me to want to be alone and not be bothered by anyone else."

"He didn't say those things exactly, but that is a good summary of what was there between the lines." Squall studied him for a moment. "Those things aren't true?"

"What happened is true. And it took me some time to really feel myself again. Well, understanding that 'myself' isn't the same as what it was before it happened; it can't be after all. But I don't shun the idea of relationships and connections, even if I do still occasionally find myself poring over the wrongs that were committed when I thought I was someone else. I'm just... particular."

"Particular?"

"And cautious. I've known what it's like to hurt people you care about. And I've known the pain of realizing you did that. The depth of the cut is proportional to the level of connection you have with the person. So maybe I don't throw myself at every person I meet, hoping to become the best of friends. That's not a very logical approach to begin with, but I also don't want to find myself in a position to easily be crushed by those feelings--or give someone else the ability to hurt me in the same way."

Squall nodded, but he wasn't sure what to say. Cloud had an unexpected and refreshing self-awareness to him. But if he recognized these things about himself already, Squall certainly didn't need to further explore those issues with him. At the same time, Cloud was the only one who could do anything about it, and he'd only do it if he wanted to. Squall couldn't force him to change--especially when the proposed change was a scary one.

"Well, I do hope that we can become friends," Squall said, raising his glass.

Cloud raised his glass, as well, before he fashioned a grin at Squall. "I think I'd be willing to consider that."

"You intrigue me, Cloud Strife."

"I do?" Cloud feigned an expression that looked like a mix between curiosity and confusion.

"There's something about you that I-- I guess I'm not sure how to say it."

Cloud just smiled back at him silently.

"What?" Squall frowned. He was making a fool of himself.

"Nothing. You just get this look on your face when you're not quite sure what to say. It's... cute, I guess."

Cute. Squall felt his heart speed up. His mind finally put words to what it was that intrigued him so completely about Cloud. He liked him. There was an attraction there. And maybe, just maybe, based on that last comment, Cloud could maybe like him back?

"Guys can't be cute."

"Oh, sure they can." Cloud took another sip of his drink. "Well, I think so, at least. You don't think guys can be cute?"

Squall suddenly found himself wondering where the sullen and standoffish Cloud had disappeared to. "Well, I wouldn't say 'cute.' I'd be more inclined to say something like 'attractive' or 'hot.'" There was a sudden realization that flashed across Cloud's face. Squall smiled.

"Wait, is this a date?"

Squall laughed and shook his head. "I hadn't intended it that way, no. But would you be opposed to calling it one now?"

Cloud stared at the table for a moment, apparently considering the question. "Why not?" He finally replied, smiling brightly. "At least then we don't have to talk about work."


End file.
